William Shakespeare - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Lov’d Mall, Meg, and Marian, and Margery,

But none of us car’d for Kate:

For she had a tongue with a tang,

Would cry to a sailor ‘Go hang!’

She lov’d not the savour of tar nor of pitch,

Yet a tailor might scratch her wher-e’er she did itch.

Then to sea, boys, and let her go hang.

This is a scurvy tune too: but here’s my comfort.

[Drinks]

CALIBAN.

Do not torment me: O!

STEPHANO. What’s the matter? Have we devils here? Do you put tricks upon us with savages and men of Ind? Ha! I have not ‘scaped drowning, to be afeard now of your four legs; for it hath been said, As proper a man as ever went on four legs cannot make him give ground: and it shall be said so again, while Stephano breathes at ‘s nostrils.

CALIBAN.

The spirit torments me: O!

STEPHANO. This is some monster of the isle with four legs, who hath got, as I take it, an ague. Where the devil should he learn our language? I will give him some relief, if it be but for that; if I can recover him and keep him tame and get to Naples with him, he’s a present for any emperor that ever trod on neat’s-leather.

CALIBAN. Do not torment me, prithee; I’ll bring my wood home faster.

STEPHANO. He’s in his fit now and does not talk after the wisest. He shall taste of my bottle: if he have never drunk wine afore, it will go near to remove his fit. If I can recover him, and keep him tame, I will not take too much for him: he shall pay for him that hath him, and that soundly.

CALIBAN.

Thou dost me yet but little hurt; thou wilt anon,

I know it by thy trembling: now Prosper works upon thee.

STEPHANO. Come on your ways: open your mouth; here is that which will give language to you, cat. Open your mouth: this will shake your shaking, I can tell you, and that soundly [gives CALIBAN a drink]: you cannot tell who’s your friend: open your chaps again.

TRINCULO. I should know that voice: it should be—but he is drowned; and these are devils. O! defend me.

STEPHANO. Four legs and two voices; a most delicate monster! His forward voice now is to speak well of his friend; his backward voice is to utter foul speeches, and to detract. If all the wine in my bottle will recover him, I will help his ague. Come. Amen! I will pour some in thy other mouth.

TRINCULO.

Stephano!

STEPHANO.

Doth thy other mouth call me? Mercy! mercy!

This is a devil, and no monster: I will leave him: I

have no long spoon.

TRINCULO. Stephano!—If thou beest Stephano, touch me, and speak to me; for I am Trinculo:—be not afeared—thy good friend Trinculo.

STEPHANO. If thou beest Trinculo, come forth. I’ll pull thee by the lesser legs: if any be Trinculo’s legs, these are they. Thou art very Trinculo indeed! How cam’st thou to be the siege of this moon-calf? Can he vent Trinculos?

TRINCULO. I took him to be kill’d with a thunderstroke. But art thou not drown’d, Stephano? I hope now thou are not drown’d. Is the storm overblown? I hid me under the dead moon-calf’s gaberdine for fear of the storm. And art thou living, Stephano? O Stephano, two Neapolitans ‘scaped!

STEPHANO.

Prithee, do not turn me about: my stomach is not constant.

CALIBAN.

[Aside] These be fine things, an if they be not sprites.

That’s a brave god, and bears celestial liquor;

I will kneel to him.

STEPHANO. How didst thou ‘scape? How cam’st thou hither? swear by this bottle how thou cam’st hither—I escaped upon a butt of sack, which the sailors heaved overboard, by this bottle! which I made of the bark of a tree, with mine own hands, since I was cast ashore.

CALIBAN. I’ll swear upon that bottle to be thy true subject, for the liquor is not earthly.

STEPHANO.

Here: swear then how thou escapedst.

TRINCULO. Swum ashore, man, like a duck: I can swim like a duck, I’ll be sworn.

STEPHANO.

[Passing the bottle] Here, kiss the book [gives

TRINCULO a drink]. Though thou canst swim like a

duck, thou art made like a goose.

TRINCULO.

O Stephano! hast any more of this?

STEPHANO.

The whole butt, man: my cellar is in a rock by

the seaside, where my wine is hid. How now, moon-calf!

How does thine ague?

CALIBAN.

Hast thou not dropped from heaven?

STEPHANO. Out o’ the moon, I do assure thee: I was the Man in the Moon, when time was.

CALIBAN. I have seen thee in her, and I do adore thee, my mistress showed me thee, and thy dog and thy bush.

STEPHANO. Come, swear to that; kiss the book; I will furnish it anon with new contents; swear.

TRINCULO. By this good light, this is a very shallow monster.—I afeard of him!—A very weak monster. —The Man i’ the Moon! A most poor credulous monster!—Well drawn, monster, in good sooth!

CALIBAN.

I’ll show thee every fertile inch o’ the island;

And I will kiss thy foot. I prithee, be my god.

TRINCULO. By this light, a most perfidious and drunken monster: when his god’s asleep, he’ll rob his bottle.

CALIBAN.

I’ll kiss thy foot: I’ll swear myself thy subject.

STEPHANO.

Come on, then; down, and swear.

TRINCULO. I shall laugh myself to death at this puppy-headed monster. A most scurvy monster! I could find in my heart to beat him,—

STEPHANO.

Come, kiss.

TRINCULO. But that the poor monster’s in drink: an abominable monster!

CALIBAN.

I’ll show thee the best springs; I’ll pluck thee

berries;

I’ll fish for thee, and get thee wood enough.

A plague upon the tyrant that I serve!

I’ll bear him no more sticks, but follow thee,

Thou wondrous man.

TRINCULO. A most ridiculous monster, to make a wonder of a poor drunkard!

CALIBAN.

I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow;

And I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts;

Show thee a jay’s nest, and instruct thee how

To snare the nimble marmozet; I’ll bring thee

To clust’ring filberts, and sometimes I’ll get thee

Young scamels from the rock. Wilt thou go with me?

STEPHANO. I prithee now, lead the way without any more talking—Trinculo, the king and all our company else being drowned, we will inherit here.—Here, bear my bottle.—Fellow Trinculo, we’ll fill him by and by again.

CALIBAN.

Farewell, master; farewell, farewell! [Sings drunkenly]

TRINCULO.

A howling monster, a drunken monster.

CALIBAN.

No more dams I’ll make for fish;

Nor fetch in firing

At requiring,

Nor scrape trenchering, nor wash dish;

‘Ban ‘Ban, Ca—Caliban,

Has a new master—Get a new man.

Freedom, high-day! high-day, freedom! freedom,

high-day, freedom!

STEPHANO.

O brave monster! lead the way.

[Exeunt]

ACT 3

SCENE I. Before PROSPERO’S cell

[Enter FERDINAND, bearing a log.]

FERDINAND.

There be some sports are painful, and their labour

Delight in them sets off: some kinds of baseness

Are nobly undergone, and most poor matters

Point to rich ends. This my mean task

Would be as heavy to me as odious; but

The mistress which I serve quickens what’s dead,

And makes my labours pleasures: O! she is

Ten times more gentle than her father’s crabbed,

And he’s compos’d of harshness. I must remove

Some thousands of these logs, and pile them up,

Upon a sore injunction: my sweet mistress

Weeps when she sees me work, and says such baseness

Had never like executor. I forget:

But these sweet thoughts do even refresh my labours,

Most busy, least when I do it.

[Enter MIRANDA: and PROSPERO behind.]

MIRANDA.

Alas! now pray you,

Work not so hard: I would the lightning had